End of the earth

Lighthouses are one of the magical structures that take you back to a simpler time. Designed and built to help ships navigate treacherous waters at night and provide a point of reference during the day. Whitefish point is one of those lighthouses. Whats different about this lighthouse at Whitefish Point is the feel you get when visiting. Established in 1849, the house was operational until 1971 and now is automated and remotely controlled from Sault Saint Marie Michigan. The current structure was built somewhere around the turn of the century.

There is also a shipwreck museum there and when looking out over lake Superior, the deepest and coldest fresh water body in the United States, it is easy to see how this can happen. Sailors in the early days referred to this as the end of the earth when looking out from the port. Whitefish Point is also a rookery for dozens of birds and even though you can walk among them, caution needs to be exercised. Driftwood and petrified wood litters the shoreline and you feel like you are on another planet given the isolation as far as the eye can see.

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On the day we visited, the wind was blowing quite hard which is what a lot of the sea faring ships must have felt. Sand was blowing on the beach that had the potential to really sting when the winds were just right. Seemed like such a contrast when you looked up and saw nothing but blue sky with a few high clouds.

Standing on the dock looking out into the great body of water it truly seemed like the end of the earth as far as the eye could see.